PicoScope 3204D 70MHz 2-Ch 8-bit PC Oscilloscope (PP959)

The PicoScope 3204D (PP959) is Pico Technology’s powerful  70MHz dual-channel PC oscilloscope with up to 1 GS/s real-time sampling and a generous 128MSa memory. It is extremely portable and easily slips into a laptop bag. Signals are acquired and displayed at 100,000 wfms per second.  There’s even an Arbitrary Waveform Generator in this compact box.  The PicoScope 3204D  is powered by a USB 3.0 port. The advanced PicoScope 6 software that is supplied at no extra charge – includes serial decoding and mask testing as standard (not extra as for most desktop scopes) and runs on Windows, Linux and Mac systems. The PicoScope 3204D is suited to many kinds of applications such as embedded systems, research, test, education, service, and repair.

High bandwidth and sampling rate

Despite a compact size and low cost, there is no compromise on performance with bandwidths up to 200 MHz for the Picoscope 3000D series.  This bandwidth is matched by a real-time sampling rate of up to 1 GS/s, allowing detailed display of high frequencies. For repetitive signals, the maximum effective sampling rate can be boosted to 10 GS/s by using Equivalent Time Sampling (ETS) mode.

Other oscilloscopes have high maximum sampling rates, but without deep memory they cannot sustain these rates on long timebases. 

Managing all this data calls for some powerful tools. There’s a set of zoom buttons, plus an overview window that lets you zoom and reposition the display by simply dragging with the mouse or touchscreen. Zoom factors of several million are possible.  

Serial bus decoding & protocol analysis

The PicoScope 3204D includes serial decoding capabilities as standard. The decoded data can be displayed in the format of your choice: In graph, In table, or both at once.

In view format shows the decoded data (in hex, binary, decimal or ASCII) in a databus timing format, beneath the waveform on a common time axis, with error frames marked in red. These frames can be zoomed to investigate noise or signal integrity issues.

In window format shows a list of the decoded frames, including the data and all flags and identifiers. You can set up filtering conditions to display only the frames you are interested in, search for frames with specified properties, or define a start pattern to signal when the program should list the data.  The statistics option reveals more detail about the physical layer such as frame times and voltage levels.  PicoScope can also import a spreadsheet to decode the hexadecimal data into user-defined text strings.

PicoScope can decode I²C, RS-232/UART, SPI, I²S, USB, FlexRay, LIN and CAN bus data.  Expect this list to grow over time with future free software upgrades. 

Spectrum Analyzer

With the click of a button you can display a spectrum plot of selected channels up to the full bandwidth of the oscilloscope. A full range of settings gives you control over the number of spectrum bands, window types, and display modes (instantaneous, average, or peak-hold).

You can display multiple spectrum views with different channel selections and zoom factors, and place these alongside time-domain views of the same data. A comprehensive set of automatic frequency-domain measurements can be added to the display, including THD, THD+N, SNR, SINAD and IMD. You can even use the AWG and spectrum mode together to perform swept scalar network analysis.

Signal Integrity

Most oscilloscopes are built down to a price. PicoScopes are built up to a specification.

Careful front-end design and shielding reduces noise, crosstalk and harmonic distortion. Years of oscilloscope design experience can be seen in improved bandwidth flatness and low distortion. We are proud of the dynamic performance of our products, and publish their specifications in detail.

The result is simple: when you probe a circuit, you can trust in the waveform you see on the screen.

USB Connectivity

The USB connection not only allows high-speed data acquisition and transfer, but also makes printing, copying, saving, and emailing your data from the field quick and easy. USB powering removes the need to carry around a bulky external power supply, making the kit even more portable for the engineer on the move.